Clinical Trials

Choosing to participate in a clinical trial is an important personal decision. It is often helpful to talk to a physician, family members, or friends about deciding to join a trial. After identifying some trial options, the next step is to contact the study research staff and ask questions about specific trials.

A listing of our current clinical trials is below or you can call the Office of Clinical Research to learn more.

What is a clinical trial?
A clinical trial (also clinical research) is a research study in human volunteers to answer specific health questions which can help determine if a medication or a treatment regimen is safe and effective for treating a specific condition or disease. Clinical trials compare the effectiveness of the study medication or treatment against standard, accepted treatment or against a placebo, if no standard treatment exists.

What to expect if admitted to a trial
If you are accepted and consent to participate in a clinical trial, you will be given a structured program to follow. You may have a schedule of tests, doctors' appointments, and treatments. You may also be asked to keep a diary of your experience during this time. It is important to carefully follow directions.

Doctors, nurses, social workers, and other health professionals may be part of your treatment team. Your treatment team may continue to check on you after your trial is over.

Why participate in a clinical trial?
Participants in clinical trials can play a more active role in their own health care, gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available, and help others by contributing to medical research.

If you have more questions or want to find other trials visit ClinicalTrials.gov which provides regularly updated information about federally and privately supported clinical research in human volunteers. ClinicalTrials.gov gives you information about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details.